Don Abbey, a biology professor at Union since 1998, and his wife, Janella, will be leaving Union after this academic year to become the Asian Projects field directors for Adventist Frontier Missions.

Retirement dreams of sitting on a beach watching sailboats and playing with grandchildren were pushed aside when Don and Janella Abbey felt the call to serve God in a new and different way.

After 14 years of service to Union College, the couple accepted the role of Asian Projects field directors for Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM). While stationed in Thailand, they will provide support to missionary couples in India, Philippines, and other South and Southeast Asian countries while and researching new projects in their region.

Photographs from the Lora McMahon King Heritage Room are now available for searching and viewing in the Union College Heritage Collections database. Material in this collection is related to the history of Union College, the College View community, and the Seventh-day Adventist denomination with a particular emphasis on the Mid-America Union region. The database is open access and available to the public through the World Wide Web.

The paintings of Union College professor Jim McClelland will be on display in the McClelland Art Gallery now through April 22.

“Birds have been important to me all my life, particularly when I became Adventist,” explained Jim McClelland, whose name has become synonymous with Union College's art program after 38 years of teaching. His vibrant paintings have inspired students, embellished Engel Hall and given him a national reputation. They are now on display in the McClelland Art Gallery until April 22.

Union College will break ground for a new 55,000 sq. ft. science and mathematics complex on Friday, April 6, at 1:30 p.m.

Union College will strengthen its commitment to provide excellent science, mathematics and health science education in the Lincoln community by breaking ground for a new 55,000 sq. ft. science and mathematics complex on April 6.

Since founding Nebraska’s oldest nursing program in 1946, Union College has become a leader in training health care providers, many of whom come from around the country and choose to stay in the Lincoln community.

Alexander Garner, senior IRR major, and staff member Lauren Kent provide medical treatment for a local man during the IRR program's annual semester in Nicaragua.

Piling into the rusty, 10-wheel, 1969 military vehicle, the students sent up a prayer. Sure, there are bugs. And heat. And humidity. But with a sick two-year-old in need of care and the nearest hospital two hours away, all of those hardships became irrelevant. This is the reality the twelve students and three staff from Union College's International Rescue and Relief (IRR) program have faced during their semester long stay in Nicaragua while providing medical care to severely under-served communities.

Cassi Fitzpatrick's senior art exhibition featuring photos from Africa is on display in the McClelland Art Gallery now through March 25. All artwork is for sale to help fund her clean water project for the Maasai tribe in Kenya.

“Cassi, we have a new name for you,” said Solomae. “’Nashipae,’ which means joy. You’re beautiful and full of happiness. We’re sad you have to go soon, but know you can always come back. You’ll always be our sister, a Maasai.”

Even before excavators begin breaking ground for the new science and mathematics complex, the Union College Board of Trustees has approved a plan to convert part of the Don Love Building to make more space for Union’s two newest programs.

“This started as a plan to create more room for our physician assistant program,” said Gary Bollinger, vice president for Financial Administration. “We've expanded our goal slightly to make the renovated space meet the needs of the PA program and also the international rescue and relief program.”

Tyler Morrison posed with fellow Endless Praise singer Sheldon Moroney and an elementary student after a concert during a tour through Tasmania. Morrison left Union in January to join Endless Praise for one year. (Photo courtesy of Endless Praise)

When Tyler Morrison heard Endless Praise perform at Union College last August, he immediately knew he wanted to be part of a group like them. One of Australia’s leading Christian music groups, Endless Praise incorporates pop, contemporary, funk and R&B elements into inspirational worship performances—it's a mix of music and faith that instantly appealed to the sophomore religious education major. “While they were singing, I remember whispering to a friend about how much fun it would be to join a group like Endless Praise,” Morrison recalled.&n

Each year Chris Blake endeavors to help students in his Conflict and Peacemaking class become active peacemakers through assignments designed to make an impact on Union's campus. This year, the class hopes to expand the reach of their message by helping to organize the annual Lincoln area Peacemaking Workshop XXVI.

Noted Christian author and speaker Dr. Tony Campolo will speak at Union College on Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Tony Campolo, a noted author and professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University, will speak at Union College on Friday, March 2.

Campolo has written 38 books including Choose Love Not Power: How to Right the World’s Wrongs from a Place of Weakness, Stories That Feed Your Soul and Connecting Like Jesus, and his visit is sponsored by Compassion International, a Christian organization that fights to free children from poverty.

The winning poems from the Division of Humanities’ second annual poetry competition are currently on display in the McClelland Art Gallery. The division published the top 20 student and employee submissions in the gallery on Feb. 19 and they will exhibit until March 4.

Kristen Vogler, junior graphic design major, won a silver Student ADDY in the Nebraska ADDY competition for 2011. The award was presented during a banquet on Feb. 5, 2012 at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln.

Union College was recognized as the award recipient for the group category on Wednesday Feb. 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the Warner Chamber of the Nebraska State Capitol Building in Lincoln.

The State of Nebraska awarded Union College the Governor’s Points of Light Award today for the college’s work in the community through Project Impact. The awards are presented quarterly during a special ceremony at the State Capitol and recognize Nebraska volunteers who give their time, talent and energy to help Nebraskans build stronger communities.

Artwork from the Drawing II class will be on display in the McClelland Art Gallery now until February 19.

The nine students enrolled in Drawing II class will display their work in the McClelland Art Gallery from Feb. 12-19. The exhibition will feature three drawings from each student, demonstrating key techniques they have studied.

Shawn McDonald will perform at Union College on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m.

Shawn McDonald has built a career out of writing songs focused on his personal journey with God. On February 17, he will bring his contemporary Christian style to Union College with a concert at College View Church at 7:30 p.m.

McDonald grew up in Eugene, Ore., where much of his youth was marred with rebellion and drug addiction. At age 20, when his life began to fall apart, he cried out to God and slowly began to turn his life around.

The Union College Board of Trustees has removed the "interim" from John Wagner's title and invited him to stay on as president. Wagner has been back at Union since July 2011 after serving as both academic dean and president in the 1980s.

John Wagner has spent most of his career guiding educational institutions and non- profit foundations down the road to growth and success, but he thought that was coming to a close. When the Union College Board of Trustees called Wagner out of semi-retirement to return to Union as interim president, he expected to stay just long enough for the board to find a permanent replacement for David Smith. Now, just a half a school year later, the board has removed the “interim” and asked Wagner to stay on as president.

The Library is taking steps to increase access to online journals at Union College. Starting this spring semester, approximately sixty print journals will be moved to online access only. Following a new policy, the library will subscribe to online rather than print editions of journals when the online option is both less expensive and offers IP authentication. This means that when readers access journals from a campus computer, no usernames or passwords are necessary.

A collection of oil paintings by Lincoln artist Elizabeth Reike-Hefley, including "Starting Contest," is on display in the McClelland Art Gallery now through Feb. 12.

Elizabeth Rieke-Hefley’s love for wildlife manifests itself on canvas. The Lincoln-based artist shares her passion for conservation with others through her oil paintings, which often depict vibrant scenes of nature and endangered species. Her work will be displayed in the McClelland Art Gallery now through Feb. 12.

Dr. Luke Powery will present “Lessons from the Unknown Black Bards” for Union College's Martin Luther King Jr. Day chapel service on January 17.

At a time when Christian preaching and music often focus on celebration and spiritual highs, Dr. Luke Powery believes that some of the most important lessons about God and the human condition can be learned from a genre of music filled with pain—the spiritual.

On Tuesday, January 17, at a special Union College chapel celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Powery will present “Lessons from the Unknown Black Bards,” a musical exploration of the history of black Americans as seen in the lyric and melody of spirituals.